1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic assembly which has an electronic card module and an electronic card sub-module that are coupled to a cooling system that provides a cooling fluid to the modules.
2. Background Information
Integrated circuits are typically assembled into packages that are soldered to a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may be the substrate of an electronic card that is plugged into a mating connector of a motherboard.
During operation the integrated circuit generates heat. The heat must be removed to insure that the junction temperatures of the circuit do not exceed an undesirable value. Some electronic cards incorporate heat slugs and heat sinks to facilitate the removal of heat from the circuit. The heat may flow into the ambient air from the heat slug/sink by forced or natural convection.
Integrated circuits such as microprocessors may generate heat that cannot be effectively removed with conventional heat sink/convection cooling systems. There have been developed electronic systems which incorporate heat pipes that transfer heat away from the integrated circuit. Heat pipes also have thermal limitations and are more expensive than conventional heat sinks.
There has also been developed electronic systems which incorporate a nozzle that sprays a coolant directly onto the integrated circuit or integrated circuit packages. These systems typically require plumbing hardware to couple the nozzle to a cooling system which contains a compressor/pump and a heat exchanger.
It is sometimes desirable to replace the electronic cards of a system. Direct cooled electronic systems are typically constructed so that the plumbing hardware must be disassembled before the card can be detached from the system. Disassembly may require tools to detach fittings, seals, etc. It would be desirable to provide a direct cooled system that would allow an electronic card to be connected and detached from the system without having to use tools or assemble hardware. Additionally, it would also be desirable to detach an individual package or integrated circuit from the electronic card in a direct cooled system without the use of tools or hardware.